Evolution of eukaryotic cellular processes - GTPases: a family of molecular switches and clocks

Abstract

Members of the GTPase superfamily share a core domain with a conserved three-dimensional structure and a common GTPase cycle, but perform a wide variety of regulatory tasks in eukaryotic cells. Evolution has created functional diversity from the conserved GTPase structure in two principal ways: (i) by combining in the product of a single gene the core GTPase domain attached to one or more additional folded domains; (ii) by building around a core GTPase an assembly of proteins encoded by different genes. Analysis of the patterns of conserved amino acid side chains on surfaces of Ga proteins reveals interfaces with other proteins in the G-protein signal linking device.